King Charles backs day off after 2am Scotland kick off

Scotland may soon have an officially sanctioned excuse for sore heads and bleary eyes and it comes straight from the Palace.

A Royal Proclamation from King Charles is expected to rubber-stamp Monday, June 15, 2026 as a one off bank holiday north of the border, celebrating Scotland’s long-awaited return to the World Cup finals for the first time in almost three decades.

First Minister John Swinney, acting in his role as a Privy Council member, is poised to formally recommend the move, paving the way for a nationwide day off just hours after Scotland kick off their tournament campaign on the global stage.

The timing is no accident. Scotland’s opening match is a historic clash against Haiti in Boston is scheduled for a punishing 2am UK time, virtually guaranteeing that fans across the country will be glued to screens into the small hours of Sunday morning. 

The proposed holiday would offer a collective recovery day for a nation expected to be running on adrenaline, emotion and very little sleep.

The celebrations were set in motion after Scotland sealed qualification with a dramatic 4–2 win over Denmark at Hampden Park, a night that reignited memories of the country’s last World Cup appearance in 1998. 

Scenes of jubilation spilled well beyond the stadium, underlining just how deeply football runs through the national psyche.

While Westminster no longer controls Scotland’s bank holidays powers transferred under the Scotland Act 1998 the legal mechanism still rests on royal approval, making King Charles’s proclamation the final ceremonial step.

Swinney has described qualification as a “landmark moment” for the country, stressing that the reaction to the Denmark victory showed football’s unique ability to unite Scotland across generations and politics alike. 

Beyond the sport, he argued, the tournament offers a rare chance for Scotland to command global attention on its own terms.

If approved, the bank holiday would join a short but memorable list of football-fuelled days off and give fans official permission to celebrate, commiserate.